Switch-adjustment housing



R. R. BAKER.

SWITCH ADJUSTMENT HOUSING.

I APPLICATION FILED DEC-.13, I919- 1,344;848. Pat nted June 29, 1920..

m mvrok RR Bake 1 l 76 BY I A TTORIVEYS UNITED STATES ROY RICHARD BAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH-ADJ ST ENT IIOUSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1920.

Application filed December 13, 1919. Serial No. 344,550.

To allwhom z'tmay concern.

Be it known that I, ROY R. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Switch-Adjustment Housings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in switch adjustment housings, and it consists in the combinations, constructions andarrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a housing for switch adjustments that is simple in construction and operation, and. is not liable to easily get out of order. v

A further object of my invention is'to provide a casing to prevent snow or sleet from clogging the adjustable connections and preventing adjustments from being made until such snow or sleet is removed.

A further object of my invention is to prevent interrupted or impaired service on account of the adjustable switch connection being rendered inoperative or inaccessible by reason of snow, sleet, or other obstruction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a housing offering the advantages herein described, and, at the same time, so constructed as to allow the switch connections to be adjusted without hindrance or delay.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of track showing the housing in position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the housin when closed,

ig. 3 is a perspective view of the housing when opened,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 44 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the housing.

In carrying out my invention I make use of the ordinary track and switch construction which is operated by any suitable means, as, for instance, by a tower man. In the drawing 6 denotes the main track rails and 7 the switch points. The latter I are connected'together by means of a switch rod 8, to which the switch adjustment 9 is connected by means of a laterally extending portion 10 and bolts 11. The switch adjustment 9 is in turn operated by a rod 12 in the ordinary manner.

The construction thus far is ordinary and forms no part of the invention, except in so far as it cooperates with the parts about to be described.

As will be seen from the drawings, I' provide a U-shaped metal member 13 which has a central opening 14 through which the laterally extending portion 10 projects. In

making the opening 14, metal portions are bent laterally to form hinge sections 15.

The housing proper consists of an upper and a lower portion, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In F ig. 3 it will be observed that the upper portion consists of a semicylindrical metal member 16 which is substantially closed at both ends, but which is provided with a recess 17 at each end. The lower member 18 is similar in construction to the upper member, and is also provided with recesses 19 arranged to register with the recesses 17 so as to form openings through which the operating rod 12 may pass. The members 16 and 18, as'stated, are formed of sheet metal, and they are provided with integrally bent portions 20 which alternate with the portions 15 so as to constitute hinge members, pintles 21 being provided for holding the parts in hinged relation to the U-shaped member 13. The latter is fastened to the bar 8 by the bolts 11 which secure the laterally extending portion 10,

the member 13 straddling the bar 8, as shown in the drawing.

The upper and lower portions of the hous- I ing'may be held together by any suitable fastening, such as that shown at 22.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In operating the switch, a tower man, as usual, moves the rod 12. This moves the switch points, together with the switch adjustment and its housing. When it is desired to change the switch adjustment, all that is necessary to do is to raise the upper portion 16 of the housing and drop the lower portion 18. The switch adjustment may then be manipulated with as much ease as if the housing were not present. When adjustment has been efiected, the two parts of the housing are swung together and are latched by the latching or looking member 22.

It will be observed that the housing is simple in construction and yet when opened is entirely out of the way of the person who is making the adjustment, so that the switch adjustment is easily accessible, and at the same time the housing forms a protection from sleet and snow which might otherwise clog up the switch adjustment so as to necessitate the thawing out of the latter.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pair of movable switch points, a connecting bar therefor, and a switch adjustment secured to said bar, of a housing for said switch adjustment, said housing being secured to said bar and having hinged portions adapted to be locked together around said switch adjustment.

2. The combination with a pair of movable switch points, a connecting bar therefor, and a switch adjustment secured to said bar, of a housing for said switch adjustment, said housing comprising upper and lower hinged portions, said portions being secured to said bar on one side of the housing, and latching means on the opposite side adapted to hold said parts together.

3. The combination with a pair of movable switch points, a connecting bar therefor, and a switch adjustment secured to said bar, of a housing for said switch adjustment, said housing comprising an upper semi-cylindrical hinged member, a lower semi-cylindrical hinged member, means for securing said hinged members to said bar, and locking means for locking said hinged members together around said adjustment.

4. The combination with a pair of movable switch points, a connecting bar therefor, and a switch adjustment secured to said bar, of a housing for said switch adjustment, said housing comprising a U-shaped member provided with a central opening arranged to receive a portion of said switch adjustment, said U-shaped member being secured to said bar, an upper semi-cylindrical metal casing member hinged to said U- shaped member, a lower semi-cylindrical metal casing member hinged to said U- shaped member, said casing members being adapted to fold around said switch adjustment, and locking means for holding said casing members in closed position.

5. The combination with a pair of movable switch points, a connecting bar therefor, and a switch adjustment secured to said bar, of a housing for said switch adjustment, said housing comprising a U-shaped metal member having an opening in one side, integral hinged portions at the edges of the opening, said U-shaped member being arranged to straddle said bar with the opening at one side thereof, an upper semi-cylindrical metal casing portion having integral hingedportions arranged to alternate with the hinged portions of said U-shaped member, a lower semi-cylindrical metal casing member having similar hinged portions arranged to alternate with certain hinged portions of the U-shaped member, pintles for securing said casing portions to said U- shaped member, and locking means on the opposite side of the casing from the U- shaped member for locking the casing portions together.

6. The combination with a switch bar of a pair of semi-cylindrical housing portions pivotally secured to said switch bar, one of said casing portions being arranged to swing above the bar, the other of said casing portions being arranged to swing below the bar, and means for locking the casing portions together.

7. The combination with a switch bar of a U-shaped retaining member arranged to straddle the bar and being secured thereto, and having a central opening arranged to receive a portion of the switch adjustment, an upper casing or housing p'ortion pivoted to said U-shaped member and arranged to swing away from said switch adjustment and above said bar, a lower semi-cylindrical metal casing portion hinged to said U- shaped member and arranged to swing below said bar, and means for securing said casing portions around said switch adjustment.

ROY RICHARD BAKER. 

